Currently, online and mobile banking provide financial institution customers the ability to make payments, transfer funds and the like via personal computers or other computing devices capable of connecting with the Internet. However, the security of such web-based transactions is at risk because the financial institution has no way to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of these transactions. This is due to the fact that the financial institutions have no means to ensure that the customer's device or system provides the necessary degree of security, irrespective of the customer being an individual customer or a business customer.
Specifically, personal computers are inherently not designed to provide the highest possible level of security. This is because the user of the personal computer demands the freedom to be able to execute any type of software, firmware or the like regardless of the security protection provided to the software. In this regard, personal computers are configured to allow for executing both secure software and unsecure software.
In addition, the ancillary applications provided for by online financial services delivered via conventional platforms, such as voice chat applications delivered via a personal computer, do not provide for a high level of security. Such applications generally employ Voice Over IP (VOIP) to communicate the voice stream through a conventional channel, such as a Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN) channel or the like. These conventional channels lack the necessary security measures to ensure that the voice chat dialog does not get intercepted by a network attacker or otherwise diverted.
In other instances, the user/customer may not have access to conventional communication platforms, such as personal computers, laptops and/or telephones to be able to conduct a voice call with a financial institution representative. In such instances, the customer may desire an alternate platform that provides the ability to conduct voice calls.
Therefore, a need exists to develop methods, systems, computer program products and the like which provide for voice communication between the user of a financial service application and a representative of the financial institution, such that the voice stream is less likely to be intercepted by a network attacker during communication. In addition to providing heightened security to voice chat transmissions, desired methods should provide for an alternate platform for delivering the voice chat application. In this regard, the desired methods, systems and the like should provide for voice chat/calls on platforms other than personal computers, laptops and/or telephones.